"Oberlin was not part of Raleigh. It was a proud freestanding, self-sufficient community of former slaves, free blacks, and their descendants, founded after the Civil War. In 1914, a New York newspaper described Oberlin as 'a unique little village of nearly twelve hundred inhabitants. The neat-looking buildings are artistically painted, and the front yards are planted with rose bushes and other shrubberies.' Oberlin actually surpassed Raleigh on some measures of homeownership and education."Visit the N&O for Myrick Howard's account of saving the Hall House and the Graves home, formerly known as Oakcrest and the families they housed.
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